Latch mechanism



Dec. 14, 1965 M. DU SHANE, JR 3,222,897

LATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 13 Z r o 5: F; 0 60 Aj 42 I4 is i 224, INVENTOR.

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Dec; 14, 1965 2 N. DU SHANE, JR 3,222,897

LATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 9 I6; 'J J l7 A yDec. 14, 1965 N. DU SHANE, JR 3,222,897

LATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,222,897 LATCH MECHANISM Ray N. Du Shane, Jr.,Fullerton, Calif., assiguor to Northrop Architectural Systems, LosAngeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser.No. 241,688 22 Claims. (Cl. 7tl97) The present invention relates to alatch mechanism and more particularly to a non-jamming latch mechanismmovable into three positions and adapted to be used on doors and panels.

The latch mechanism of the present invention is primarily used onsliding doors or panels but it is understood that other types of doorsmay be used. Today, it is common to manufacture sliding doors and doorframes from extruded metal frame members. These frame members such asstiles and jambs, may vary in size, shape and section depending on thedesign and function of the door or panel.

The present latch mechanism is universal in that it is adapted to beused with substantially all types of frame members (stiles and jambs)regardless of shape and size, with sliding as well as other types ofdoors or panels, and with locking devices of different constructions andsizes.

Moreover, the present latch mechanism is adapted to assume threepositions: latching, unlatching and nonjamming. The latter positionprevents the mechanism and door or panel from being damaged wheninadvertently the mechanism is in the latched position and the door orpanel is closed.

In addition, the latch mechanism of the present invention prevents thedoor or panel from being lifted upwardly from the threshold or bottomdoor frame member (sill) when an attempted forcible entry is made on ahome or dwelling having the said latch mechanism. It has been found thathomes have been illegally entered by prying and urging sliding doors orpanels slightly upwardly into space in a head member to remove a doorfrom sliding contact with a sill member. The entire length of the bottomrail of the door or panel is generally required to be lifted above thesill member in order to remove the door or panel. Doors or panelsprovided with the present latch mechanism are not capable of beingremoved by this method.

The present invention also includes novel structure of a latch keepermeans used to latchingly engage a latch or strike member and which movesin a vertical plane, and a latch keeper actuating means which moves in asecond vertical plane substantially normal to the first vertical plane.This allows the latch keeper actuating means to be actuated from a sideface of a door or panel stile and the latch keeper means to operate in aplane parallel to the end face of a door or panel. A latch actuatingbutton may be movably carried within a recessed portion of the doorframe, jamb or panel stile to enable sliding doors equipped with thepresent latch mechanism to be moved closely adjacent each other inopposite face to face position without interference of protrudingelements.

Anti-jimmying means is also included in the present latch mechanism toprevent the latch keeper from being pried open or jimmied when latched.

In general, the latch mechanism of the present invention includes anelongated, horizontally extending latch strike member rigidly carried ona jamb or frame member of a sliding door or panel, an opening in thevertical edge wall of the frame member of a second door or panel forreceiving the latch strike member, and means carried by the second dooror panel for latch- 3,222,897 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 ing and unlatchingthe latch member when received through the opening. This latching meansmay comprise a latch keeper which is spring biased against the innerface of the edge wall of the frame member of the second door or panel, alatch keeper actuating means for moving the latch keeper into and out oflatching position with the latch member, and a novel connecting meansfor transmitting movement between the latch keeper actuating means andlatch keeper means when the two latter means are adapted to be moved invertical planes substantially normal to each other. Moreover theconnecting means allows the latch keeper means to be moved into anon-jamming position to prevent damage to the mechanism when the latchkeeper means has been inadvertently moved into a latched position, thedoor or panel is closed and the latch member is received in the openingand strikes the latch keeper means.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel latch mechanismfor use with sliding doors or panels.

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism which is universal andmay be used with all types of doors or panels irrespective of size andshape of the frame members, stiles or jambs.

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism which is burglarproof.

A further object is to provide a latch mechanism for sliding doors orpanels which cannot be jimmied or pried open.

Still another object is to provide a latch mechanism which is adapted toassume three positions, latching, unlatching and non-jamming.

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism including a latch keepermeans and latch keeper actuating means which move in vertical planessubstantially normal to each other and connecting means for transmittingsliding movement between the two means in different vertical planes.

A specific object of the invention is to provide an interconnectingmeans between a reciprocally movable latch keeper member and actuatingmeans therefor whereby motion imparted to the actuating means is readilytransmitted to the latch keeper member such interconnecting meanspermitting the latch keeper member to be moved into non-jammingposition. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, suchinterconnecting means includes a transverse plate-like member readilyassembled and mounted for pivotal movement with respect to actuatingmeans. In another exemplary embodiment, a transverse pin carried by thelatch keeper member is guided by slots receiving opposite pin ends andthe latch keeper member is pivotable about the pin axis into non-jammingrelation with the latch strike member.

The present invention contemplates a novel construction of a latchmechanism which may be used in door panels having vertical stile membersof relatively narrow width and with limited exceptionally small spacefor receiving a latch mechanism, and wherein the vertical par allellines of the stile members outlining the panel frame and glass thereinmay appear virtually unbroken by door hardware, such as latch housings,hardware or door pulls. The present latch mechanism embodies anarrangement of a latch keeper means, latch keeper actuating means, andan interconnecting means which permits loose tolerances and readyadaptability to locks of different manufacture, and size, and operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparentfrom the following description when considered in connection with theappended drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a pair of sliding doors latched togetherby an exemplary latch mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section of the device taken along plane IIII ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a sliding door latched to a jamb member ofa door frame by an exemplary latch mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the latch mechanismof FIG. 3 taken generally in the area designated by the circular phantomline 1V and illustrating the latch mechanism in the unlatched position.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of the device taken along plane VV ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a transverse section of the device taken along plane VIVI ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section of the device taken through the latchmechanism of FIG. 3 and is similar to FIG. 4 except the latch mechanismis in the non-jamming position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary latch mechanism of thepresent invention and illustrates the mechanism in the latched position.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a different embodiment of thisinvention, the sectional view being taken in a vertical plane bisectingthe latch mechanism and associated frame members.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the same plane as FIG.9 and illustrating the latch mechanism in latched position.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the same plane as FIG.9 showing the latch mechanism in non-jamming position.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary transverse enlarged sectional view taken in theplane indicated by line XIIXII of FIG. 9.

In describing the present invention, the term frame member may include ajamb or other elements of a door frame or movable panel frame, or thestile, upper rail or other structural framing elements normally used inmaking and assemblying a door or panel construction for an opening.Moreover, it should be understood that the present latch mechanism maybe used to latch a door or panel to a jamb (FIG. 3) or to another dooror panel (FIG. 4) and is especially adapted for use on sliding doors orpanels and such an example will be so described.

An exemplary latch mechanism 10 of the present invention may be providedon two adjacent frame members adapted to be latched together. As seen inFIGS. 3 to 8, a frame member 11 may be a jamb forming part of a doorframe and the other frame member 12 may be a stile of a sliding door.The frame member 12 may have a vertical edge wall or face 13 and spacedvertical side walls or faces 14a and 14b adapted to enclose the majorportion of the latch mechanism 10 of the present invention.

The jamb or frame member 11 may rigidly carry an elongated, horizontallyextending latch strike member 15 which may be a bolt having an enlargedheaded end 15a.

The latch member 15 may be adjustably secured to the frame member 11 byany well known means, such as by interior nut 16 and exterior stop nut17 which may be adjusted on the threaded portion of the bolt 15 tocontrol and vary the horizontal distance between the enlarged endportion 15a and the frame member 11.

The frame member or stile 12 is provided with an opening 21 in thevertical end face 13 thereof for receiving the latch strike member 15. Amovable latch keeper means 22 may be provided within stile 12 forlatching and unlatching the latch member 15 when received in the opening21.

Latch keeper means 22 may be slidably carried within a latch keeperhousing 23 and movable in a vertical plane substantially parallel to thevertical end face 13 of the frame member 12. The housing 23 issubstantially elongated and channel-shaped in section and the wall 24 ofthe housing 23 is rigidly secured to the end face 13 of the frame member12 by means of screws 24a and 24b. The side walls of the housing 23 areindicated at 25a and 25b and act as guides for the vertical movement ofthe latch keeper 22. An opening 21:: is provided in the wall 24 ofhousing 23 and is in horizontal alignment with opening 21 for receivinglatch member 15 within frame 12.

The latch keeper means 22 is preferably elongated and has a widthslightly less than the distance between the side walls 25a and 25b ofhousing 23. This allows the keeper means 22 to slide within the housing23 but trans verse movement is prevented. The upper end 22a of keepermeans 22 adjacent the wall 13 of frame member 12 may be convex forfacilitating pivotal movement of the latch keeper 22 into a non-jammingposition as shown in FIG. 7 and as described hereinafter. The lower end22b of latch keeper means 22 may include a furcated or forked lockingend portion adapted to engage the enlarged headed end 15a and preventthe latch member 15 from withdrawal from openings 21 and 21a.

Spring means 27 may be provided for biasing the latch keeper means 22toward the vertical end face 13 of the frame member 12 and for tendingto maintain movement of the latch keeper means 22 in its vertical plane.Spring means 27 extends vertically and is elongated and curved inlongitudinal section. Its upper end has a transverse retaining strip 27aWhose ends are received in vertical slots 28a and 28b in side walls 25aand 25b respectively. Screw 24a may extend against or through a port instrip 27a to secure the spring means 27. This allows the spring 27 to beheld at its upper end leaving its lower end 27b free to move rearwardlyas described hereinafter and still maintain biasing pressure on thelatch keeper 22.

A latch keeper actuating means is provided for moving the latch keepermeans 22 between a latching position (FIG. 8) in latching engagementwith the latch member 15 when received through the opening 21 and anunlatching position (FIG. 4) out of latching engagement with the latchmember 15. Such an actuating means is indicated as 30 and may beslidably carried on wall 14a of frame member or stile 12 and movable ina second vertical plane which is substantially normal to the firstvertical plane in which the latch keeper 22 moves. Actuating means 30 isprovided with a vertically extending slot 31 slidably receiving ahorizontal pin 32 which is rigidly carried by the side wall 14a of theframe member 12. The vertical stroke or travel of means 30 and latchkeeper 22 is determined by the length of slot 31 and diameter of pin 32.An upper reduced hook-like end 30a of actuating means 30 extends througha vertical slot 35 in side wall 14a. A latching button member 33 movablycarried on the exterior side of the side wall 14a is suitably connectedto hook-like end 30a. The exterior face of side wall 14a may include ahardware plate providing a recessed portion 34 for receiving latchingbutton 33 and to prevent the latching button member from protrudingtransversely beyond the plane defined by the exterior face of side wall14a and to therefore allow close sliding relation with other slidingdoors or frame members. Any suitable means may be utilized in rigidlyconnecting the upper end 30a of actuating means 30 and the latchingbutton 33.

The lower end 30b of means 30 may have two downwardly extending spacedlegs 36 and 37 adapted to straddle a cylinder type lock means 50 duringvertical movement of the actuating means 30. Each leg 36 and 37 may beprovided with an outwardly directed dovetailshaped slot 38 whosefunction will be described in detail hereinafter.

A connecting means is provided for transmitting vertical slidingmovement of actuating means 30 to latch keeper means 22, said means 30and 22 being movable in vertical planes substantially normal to eachother. Such connecting means also allows the locking portion 22b oflatch keeper means 22 to move rearwardly and away from the edge wall 13of the frame member 12 and into a non-jamming position (FIG. 7) andagainst the bias of the spring means 27 when the latch member 15 movesthrough the opening 21 and strikes the latch keeper means 22.

An exemplary connecting means may include a horizontal, transverselyextending plate member 39 which is rigidly carried by the latch keepermeans 22 by a pair of horizontally extending spaced finger members 40::and 40b. The free transverse edge 3% of plate member 39 may be slidinglyand frictionally received in dovetailshaped slot 38 in the leg 36 ofactuating means 30. The cooperation between the entrance of thedovetail-shaped slot 38 and the transverse edge 3% of plate member 39 issuch that vertical sliding motion is transmitted by actuating means 30to latch keeper 22 and the free transverse edge 3% of plate member 39 isstill adapted to be rocked about a transverse axis and moved in avertical direction within the dovetail-shaped slot 38 when the latchkeeper means 22 is forced into a non-jamming position as shown in FIG.7.

The other transverse edge 39a of the plate member 39 forms a horizontalshoulder portion 390 between fingers 48a and 40b, portion 390 being incontinuous sliding frictional engagement with the spring means 27. Asbest seen in FIGS. 4 and 8, the horizontal shoulder portion 390 isadapted to be positioned on opposite sides of the convexly curvedsection of spring means 27 when the latch keeper means 22 is movedbetween unlatching and latching positions, respectively. The cooperationof the portion 390 and the curved spring means 27 provides ananti-jimmying means for preventing jimmying and accidental movement oflatch keeper means 22 when an attempt is made to move keeper means 22from latched to unlatched positions. As can best be seen in FIG. 8, if asharp instrument was inserted into opening 21 in an attempt to move thelatch keeper means 22 upwardly, the curved portion of the spring 27would act as a stop for shoulder portion 390 and latch keeper 22.

It is understood that when the latch keeper actuating means 30 is movedbetween latching and unlatching positions, the horizontal shoulderportion 39c actually tends to flatten the curved spring 27 duringmovement of the members between the two positions. After the horizontalportion 390 has moved over the curved portion of the spring 27, it isvery difficult for the latch keeper means 22 to be accidentally moved ina vertical direction by any other means than the latch actuating means30.

A particular advantage of the present invention is the lack of closetolerances that are needed in certain critical portions of themechanism, which eliminates high cost of production. For example, theactuating means 30 is adapted to cooperate with any portion of thetransverse, edge 39b of plate member 39 and slight transverse movementtherebetween does not cause the mechanism to become inoperative.

The latch keeper means 22 may be inadvertently or accidentally movedinto a latching position when the horizontal latching member 15 is notwithin the opening 21, as when the sliding door is in open position.When frame member 12 is then moved toward frame member 11, the latchingmember 15 will strike the locking portion of latch keeper means 22. Inmany latching mechanisms used heretofore, damage would be cause to thelatching mechanism, to the frame members, or to both. This is notpossible with the latching mechanism of the present invention.

As can best be seen in FIG. 7, the frame members 11 and 12 are notlatched and the latch keeper means 22 is in the latching position. Whenthe frame members 11 and 12 are moved together, the latch member 15 willmove through the opening 21 and strike the latch keeper means 22. Thiscauses the latch keeper means 22 to move rearwardly against the bias ofthe lower end 2712 of the spring 27 and into the non-jamming position asshown in FIG. 7. The latch keeper 22 during this movement rocks orpivots at the point of engagement between the free transverse edge 39bof the plate member 39 and the edges of the dovetail-shaped slot 38 inthe actuating means 30. Since the actuating means 30 is stationary dueto the pin 32 engaging the upper end of the slot 31, rearward movementof the lower end of the latch keeper 22 causes the upper end of thelatch keeper 22 to be rotated or rocked so that the free transverse edge3% of the plate 39 moves upwardly into contact with the upper slantededge of the dovetail-shaped slot 38. This rocking movement is permittedby the convex upper end 22a of the latch keeper 22 as it slidinglyengages the front wall 23 of the latch keeper housing 24.

A separate lock means 59 may be carried on the side wall 14b of andwithin the frame member 12 for locking the latch keeper means 22 intolatching and unlatching positions. The separate lock means 50 mayinclude rotatable upper and lower locking fingers 51a and 51b which areadapted to be rotated into selected contact with the plate member 39.The lock means 50 may be a suitable cylinder type of lock which isactuated by a key. Such a lock is well known and therefore will not bedescribed in detail. As shown by the phantom lines in FIG. 7, thelocking fingers 51a and 51b can be rotated to engage plate member 39 formoving and locking the latch keeper means 22 into latching andunlatching positions. It should be noted that even when the upperlocking finger 51a has been rotated downwardly into contact with plate39, and the latch keeper 22 is in latching position, the latch keeper 22can still be moved rearwardly into the non-jamming position when struckby the latching member '15. Moreover, no strain or damage can betransmitted to the lock member when the keeper 22 moves into thenon-jamming position because plate member 39 tends to move away fromlocking finger 51a. This eliminates any possible damage to the alignedtumblers in a cylinder type lock.

The present invention also provides means for preventing burglars fromattempting to actuate the latch mechanism and from forcing the dooropen. The jamb or frame member 11 may be provided with a vertical,channel-shaped in section, elongated portion 42 for receiving the framemember 12 and for enclosing that space between the frame members 11 and12 where the latch member 15 extends through the opening 21 when theframe members '11 and 12 are latched together. It is seen in FIG. 6 thatthe channel-shaped member 42 may be the extruded section of frame member11 or may be an extruded part rigidly carried by the frame member 11 andextends over adjacent faces of the side walls 14a and 14b of the framemember 12 a sufiicient distance to prevent a tool or other means frombeing inserted between the two frame members and reaching the latchmember 15. FIG. 2, discloses an elongated, channel-shaped member 42awhich serves the same function as the member 42 in FIG. 6, but isprovided on the frame member or stile of a sliding door which is adaptedto be latched to another sliding door as seen in FIG. 1.

Homes have also been burglarized by having the doors lifted upwardlyabove the sill member. When the lower end of the door is above the sillmember, the lower portion of the door is pulled outwardly thus allowingentry into the home. This is not possible with the latching mechanism ofthe present invention. As best seen in FIG. 7, if the door carrying theframe member 12 is lifted upwardly, the lower wall of opening 21 inframe member 12 would strike the latching member 15 which is stationary.This would prevent raising of the door a sufiicient distance so that itcould be disassembled from the threshold member.

The operation of the latch mechanism of the present invention is verysimple and is as follows: the two frame members 11 and 12 are broughttogether so that the latching member 15 is received within the opening21 as shown in FIG. 4. The latching button 33 is moved downwardly thusactuating the means 30. The downward movement of actuating means '30 istransmitted to the latch keeper means 22 by the cooperation of thedovetail-shaped slot 38 and plate 39. The latch keeper means 22 is thusmoved downwardly in a vertical plane substantially normal to thevertical plane in which the actuating means 30 is moved. The furcatedlocking end 2217 of latch keeper 22 is moved downwardly to straddle thelatching member 15 behind the headed end 15a into the position shown inFIG. 8. The frame members 11 and 12 are thus prevented from being movedapart and are therefore latched together by the enlarged end 15a on thelatching member 15 and the furcated end 22b of the latch keeper means22.

During movement of the latch keeper means 22 from the unlatched positionto the latched position, it is understood that the horizontal shoulderportion 390 of plate member 39 is in continuous sliding contact with thespring means 27. During such movement, the spring 27 is urged towards aflattened condition until the horizontal shoulder portion 390 is movedover the curved portion of the spring 27. Due to the cooperation of thecurved spring 27 and the horizontal shoulder portion 39c, it is verydifficult if not impossible for the latch to be jimmied or pried open.

In order to unlatch the frame members 11 and 12, the latching button 33is moved upwardly causing the actuating means 30 to slide relative topin 32 and move the latch keeper means 22 upwardly into an unlatchedposition as shown in FIG. 4. The latching member 15 is thus free toretract horizontally through the opening 21.

As explained herein-above, even if the latch keeper means 22 has beeninadvertently moved into a latching position when the frame members 11and 12 are separated, no damage will result when the frame members 11and 12 are moved together so that the latching member '15 strikes thelatch keeper means 22. In this event, the latch keeper means 22 willmove rearwardly against the bias of spring 27 into the position shown inFIG. 7.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 912, inclusive,similar reference numerals have been applied to parts similar to thosein the previous embodiment except that the present reference numeralsare in the 100 series. In this exemplary embodiment, a jamb member 111is shown in opposed adjacent relation to a stile 112 on a movable orsliding panel. Projecting from jamb member 111 is a latch strike .boltor member 115 provided with an enlarged headed end 115a. Latch member115 may be adjustably mounted on jamb member 111 by well-known meanssuch as interior and exterior nuts 116 and 117, such adjustmentpositioning headed end 115a in selected relation with latch keepermember 122 when the door panel is in closed, locked position (FIG.

Stile 112 includes an edge wall 113, side walls 114a and 114b, and asuitable inner configured edge wall portion 113a adapted to cooperatewith a glass pane. Edge wall 113 has an opening 121 aligned with and ofa size to permit passage therethrough of headed end 115a. Similarly, thewall 124 of the latch keeper housing 123 is provided with an opening121a for bolt 115.

Latch keeper housing 123 may be secured to edge wall 113 by top andbottom screws 124a, 124k and may include side walls 125a and 125b inparallel relation and serving to guide vertical reciprocal movement oflatch keeper member 122 therebetween. Top inwardly extending portions160 on side walls 125a, 1251) may be ported at 161a and 161b,respectively, to rotatably mount a stub shaft 162 which extends througha port 163 in side wall 11% of stile 112. Shaft 162 is carried by handle164 which may be moved about the pivotal axis of shaft 162 for actuationof the latch mechanism as hereafter described.

The latch keeper means 122 may include a bottom bifurcated lockingportion 122b adapted to straddle the shank of bolt behind headed end115a in down-lock ing position. The upper end 122a of latch keeper means122 comprises spaced inwardly extending lug portions 140a and 140b, theoutwardly and upwardly directed edges of said lug portions beingconvexly curved to permit said latch keeper means 122 to be moved intoangular relation with respect to edge wall 113 when in non-jammingposition.

Latch keeper means 122 is normally maintained in parallel slidingrelation with the inner surface of housing wall 124 by a spring member127 having at top end 127a secured to housing 123 by reception thereofin slots 128a and 128b and by screw 124a as in the prior embodiment. Thebottom end of spring member 127 includes a convexly curved portion 12712normally biased against the 0pposed inner face of latch keeper means122.

Means interconnecting latch keeper means 122 and latch keeper actuatingmeans generally indicated at (which includes handle 164, stub shaft 162)may comprise a horizontal transverse pin member 139 carried in alignedports 165a and 165k in portions a and 140b, respectively. Pin member 139projects beyond said portions 140a and 14% and opposite ends of pinmember 139 extend into aligned parallel vertically disposed slots 166a,1661) in top portions 160 of the latch keeper housing 123. Thecooperable engagement of the pin ends and slots provides verticalguiding of the top end of latch keeper means 122 when it is actuatedbetween latching and unlatching position.

Between lug portions 140a and 14% the pin member 139 is received withinand between forked leg portions 168 defining a transversely extendingslot 169 having sufficient depth so that the pin member will not contactthe bottom of the slot 169 during movement of the latch keeper meansbetween latching and unlatching position. The forked leg portions 168are provided on an arm 151 which extends from a ported hub member whichis fixedly carried by shaft 162 between portions of the latch keeperhousing 123. Arm 151 may be provided with a radially inwardly extendingbore 170 for partially enclosing and seating a coil spring 171 having anouter end seated against the pin 139 at 172. Spring 171 serves as adetent-type locking anti-jimmying spring for positively retaining thelatch keeper member in selected latched or unlatched position and servesthe same function as the convex portion of spring 27 of the priorembodiment.

In actuation of the latch means, movement of handle 164 upwardly fromthe position shown in FIG. 9 (and after the jamb and stile are in closedrelation) will cause arm 151 to move downwardly, pin member 139 to movedownwardly in slots 166a and 166b, and the latch keeper means 122 willbe moved downwardly in parallel sliding relation to wall 124 of thelatch keeper housing 123. As handle 164 passes a horizontal line throughthe axis of shaft 162, locking spring 171 will be compressed in bore170. As the forked end portion of arm 151 begins to be directeddownwardly, spring 171 will expand and exert a spring force against pinmember 139 to further facilitate downward movement of the latch keepermeans 122 into latching engagement with the latch bolt or member 115.Such latching engagement is shown in FIG. 10.

When handle 164 is pressed downwardly to unlatch the latch mechanism,latch keeper means 122 is urged upwardly by arm 151 and engagement ofthe lower leg 168 with pin member 139. Spring 171 is again compressed asthe handle passes a horizontal line and as the forked end of arm 151begins to be directed upwardly, spring 171 exerts a spring forceassisting in the movement of the handle 164 and latch keeper means 122into upper unlatched position. Engagement of pin member 139 with theends of slots 166a and 166i) limits downward or upward movement of thelatch keeper means 122. It will be apparent that spring 171 serves toretain the latch keeper move rearwardly and away from the edge wall ofsaid second frame member into a non-jamming position and against thebias of said spring means when said latch keeper means is in the latchedposition and when said latch member moves through said opening andstrikes said latch keeper means, whereby the latch mechanism isnon-jamming and is adapted to be moved into latching, unlatching andnon-jamming positions.

10. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 9, wherein said connectingmeans includes a horizontal, transversely extending member carried bysaid latch keeper means; and slot means on said latch keeper actuatingmeans receiving said horizontal member.

11. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 9, including anti-jimmyingmeans operatively connected with said latch keeper means for preventingjimmying and accidental movement of said latch keeper means when movedrespectively into latching and unlatching positions.

12. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 11, wherein said spring meansextends vertically and is elongated and has a longitudinal curvedsection, and said anti-jimmying means includes a horizontal shouldermember rigidly carried by said latch keeper means and in slidingfrictional engagement with said spring means, said horizontal shouldermember being adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of said curvedsection when said latch keeper means is moved between latching andunlatching positions.

13. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 9, wherein said elongated latchmember has an enlarged end and said latch keeper means includes afurcated end portion adapted to engage said enlarged end and preventsaid elongated latch member from being withdrawn from said opening.

14. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 9, wherein said first framemember is provided with a vertical, elongated, channel-shaped insection, burglar-proof means for receiving said second frame memberwhere said latch member extends through said opening when the framemembers are latched together.

15. In a latch mechanism for use with a sliding door having a framemember adapted to be latched to a frame member on another door or jamb,the provision of: a frame member having an edge face and spaced sidefaces, latch keeper means slidably carried within and by said framemember and movable in a plane substantially parallel to said edge facefor latching and unlatching cooperation with a latch member adapted tobe received through an opening in the edge face of said frame member,latch keeper actuating means for moving said latch keeper m ans betweena latching position and an unlatching position, said latch keeperactuating means being slidably carried within and by said frame memberand being movable in a second plane which is substantially normal tosaid first plane, and connecting means for transmitting sliding movementof said actuating means to said keeper means, both of which are movablein planes substantially normal to each other, said keeper means having aconnection with said actuating means whereby said keeper means ismovable rearwardly and away from the edge face of said frame member intoa non-jamming position when said latch keeper means is in the latchedposition and is struck by a latch member moving through the opening inthe edge face of said frame member.

16. In a latch mechanism for use with a sliding door having a framemember adapted to be latched to a frame member on another door or jamb,the provision of: a frame member having an edge face and spaced sidefaces, latch keeper means slidably carried within and by said framemember for latching and unlatching a latch member adapted to be receivedthrough an opening in the edge face of said frame member, latch keeperactuating means within and movably carried by said frame member formoving said latch keeper means between latching and unlatchingpositions, and means having a connection with said actuating means andhaving a Connection with said keeper means for moving said keeper means,at least one of said connections including a pivotal connection wherebysaid latch keeper means is movable rearwardly and away from the edgeface of said frame member into a non-jamming position when said latchkeeper means is in the latch position and is struck by a latch membermoving through the opening in the edge face of said frame member.

17. In a sliding door latch mechanism for locking opposed members of adoor assembly, at least one of which is movable toward and away from theother member, the combination of: a headed latch bolt projecting fromone of said members; the other of said members having a latch boltreceiving opening aligned with said bolt; latch keeper means movable onsaid other member and having a locking portion cooperable with the latchbolt; means mounting said latch keeper means on said other member formovement transverse to the axis of the latch bolt for latching andunlatching engagement therewith and for movement of the locking portionof the latch keeper means away from the latch bolt for non jammingengagement with the latch bolt; and actuating means for said latchkeeper means including a transverse member having a connection with saidlatch keeper means and including movable means on said other member inengagement with said transverse member for transmitting movement of themovable means to said latch keeper means for actuation thereof into andout of latching engagement with said bolt.

18. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 17, wherein said mounting meansfor said latch keeper means includes parallel aligned slots provided onsaid other member for guiding reception of said transverse member duringtransmission of movement of said movable means.

19. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 17, wherein said transversemember is a pin, said other member is provided with slots receiving endsof said pin and guiding the same during movement of the latch keepermeans to latching and unlatching positions, said latch keeper meansbeing rotatable about the axis of the pin when the latch keeper means ismoved into non-jamming position by said latch bolt.

20. In a sliding door latch mechanism for locking opposed members of adoor assembly, at least one of I which is movable toward and away fromthe other member, the combination of: a latch bolt means on one of saidmembers; bolt engagement means on the other of said members movablelongitudinally thereof for latching and unlatching the bolt means andmovable away from said bolt means into non-jamming position of theengagement means; movable actuating means on the other member for thebolt engagement means; and means interconnecting the actuating means andthe bolt engagement means for translating movement of the actuatingmeans into longitudinal movement of the bolt engagement means, saidinterconnecting means including a pivotal connection for movement of thebolt engagement means about an axis thereof into said non-jammingposition.

21. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 20 including spring meansbetween said actuating means and said interconnecting means for springbiasing said bolt engagement means into latching position and intounlatched position.

22. In a sliding door latch mechanism for locking opposed members of adoor assembly, at least one of which is movable toward and away from theother member, the combination of: a headed latch bolt projecting fromone of said members towards the other of said members; said other memberbeing hollow and having a latch bolt receiving opening for reception ofsaid headed bolt into said other member; a reciprocally movable boltengagement means supported within said other member and movable intolatching and unlatching relation with said headed bolt; a transversemember carried at the upper end of said bolt engagement means; actuatingmeans pivotally mounted on said other member and including an 9 means122 in its selected position and under a biasing force.

In the event latch keeper means 122 is in latching or down position whenthe stile is moved into close adjacent relation with the jamb 111 andheaded end 115a extends through aligned openings 121 and 121a and butslocking portion 122b, it will be apparent from FIG. 11 that latch keepermeans 122 may readily pivot about the axis of pin member 139 so that thelocking portion 12212 may resilently yield upon contact with headed end115a to cushion the closing action and to prevent shock and damage tothe latch mechanism and the door parts. It will be apparent that suchyielding is made under increasing spring pressure from spring member127, such spring member being subject to bending at 174 about a convexedge of leg 168 of the arm 151. When the stile 112 is moved away frombolt head 115a, spring 127 returns the locking portion to its normaloperative position against wall 124 of the housing 123. Thus, theembodiment shown in FIGS. 9-12 operates in similar manner to the priorembodiment, includes common features of structure and operation, andembodies a structure readily adaptable for modified stile installations.

It is thus seen that the latch mechanism of the present invention canmove into three positions: latching, unlatching and non-jamming. Thislatch mechanism is burglarproof and cannot be jimmied or pried open. Itshould also be noted that since dovetail openings 38 are provided oneither side of the actuating means 31 the latch mechanism of the presentinvention could be mounted on a lefthand or righthand door withoutredesigning the mechanism. It is thus seen that a latch mechanism of thepresent invention is universal and can be utilized on any type of door,stile, jamb or any other type of frame member.

The latch mechanism of the present invention is compact and can .becompletely enclosed within the standard sizes now being employed forextrusions commonly used for frame members in the present doorconstructions. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the latch mechanism 10will not protrude into the window area of sliding doors and hindervision therethrough.

Oviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A universal latch mechanism for use with a sliding door having aframe member adapted to be latched to a frame member on another door orjamb comprising: an elongated, horizontally extending latch strikemember rigidly carried by a frame member, an opening in a vertical edgeface on the other frame member for receiving said elongated, horizontallatch member, latch keeper means slidably carried by said other framemember and movable in a vertical plane substantially parallel to saidvertical edge face for latching and unlatching said latch member whenreceived in said opening, spring means for biasing said latch keepermeans towards the vertical edge face of said other frame member and fortending to maintain movement of said latch keeper means in said verticalplane, latch keeper actuating means for moving said latch keeper meansbetween a latching position in latching engagement with said latchmember when received in said opening and substantially covering saidopening, and an unlatching position out of latching engagement with saidlatch member and substantially uncovering said opening, said latchkeeper actuating means being movable in a second vertical plane which issubstantially normal to said first vertical plane, and connecting meansbetween said latch keeper means and latch keeper actuating means fortransmitting vertical sliding movement therebetween and includingmovement of the latch keeper means rearwardly and away from the edgeface of said other frame member into a non-jamming position and againstthe bias of said spring means when said latch keeper means is in thelatched position and when said latch member moves through said openingand strikes said latch keeper means, whereby the latch mechanism isnon-jamming and is adapted to be moved into latching, unlatching, andnonjamming positions.

2. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, including separate lock meanscarried on the side of said other frame member for locking said latchkeeper means in latching position, said latch keeper means being stilladapted to be moved into the non-jamming position.

3. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, wherein said connecting meansincludes a horizontal, transversely extending plate member rigidlycarried by said latch keeper means and a dovetail-shaped slot providedin said latch keeper actuating means, said dovetail-shaped slotslidingly and frictionally receiving a free transverse edge portion ofsaid horizontal plate member.

4. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, wherein said latch keepermeans has a convex upper end surface adjacent the vertical edge face ofsaid other frame member for facilitating movement of said latch keeperinto the non-jamming position.

5. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, including anti-jimmying meansoperatively connected with said latch keeper means for preventingjimmying and accidental movement of said latch keeper means when movedinto latching and unlatching positions respectively.

6. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 5, wherein said spring meansextends vertically, is elongated and includes a curved longitudinalsection, and said antijimmying means includes a horizontal shouldermember rigidly carried by said latch keeper means and in continuoussliding frictional engagement with said spring means, said horizontalshoulder member being adapted to be positioned on opposite sides of saidcurved section when said latch keeper means is moved into latching andunlatching positions.

7. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, including a recessed portionon the exterior side of said other frame member, a latching buttonmember movably carried on said exterior side of said other frame memberand within said recessed portion, and means for connecting said latchingbutton member with said latch keeper actuating member.

8. A latch mechanism as stated in claim 1, wherein said elongated latchstrike member has an enlarged end and said latch keeper means includes afurcated end portion adapted to engage said enlarged end and preventsaid elongated latch member from being withdrawn from said opening.

9. A universal latch mechanism for use with a sliding door having aframe member adapted to be latched to a frame member on another door orjamb comprising: an elongated, horizontally extending latch memberrigidly carried by a first frame member, a second frame member having avertical edge wall and spaced vertical side walls and adapted to belatched to said first frame member, said vertical edge wall on saidsecond frame member having an opening for receiving said latch member,latch keeper means movably carried within and by said second framemember for latching and unlatching engagement with said latch memberwhen received through said opening, spring means for biasing said latchkeeper means towards the vertical edge wall of said second frame member,latch keeper actuating means within and movably carried by said secondframe member for moving said latch keeper means between a latchingposition in latching engagement with said latch member when receivedthrough said opening, and an unlatching position out of latchingengagement with said latch member, and connecting means for transmittingmovement of said latch keeper actuating means to said latch keepermeans, said connecting means including means for said latch keeper meansto actuating portion provided With a slot receiving said transversemember for pivotal movement of said bolt engagement means about an axisof said transverse member for movement of said bolt engagement meansaway from said latch bolt into non-jamming relation with said latchbolt; and spring means connected at one end to said other memberadjacent to the proximate end of said bolt engagement means, said springmeans having its opposite end bearing against said bolt engagement meansadjacent the distal end thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner 2,913,272 11/1959 Elsner 29227 ALBERTH. KAMPE, Primary Examiner.

20. IN A SLIDING DOOR LATCH MECHANISM FOR LOCKING OPPOSED MEMBERS OF ADOOR ASSEMBLY, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THEOTHER MEMBER, THE COMBINATION OF: A LATCH BOLT MEANS ON ONE OF SAIDMEMBERS; BOLT ENGAGEMENT MEANS ON THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS MOVABLELONGITUDINALLY THEREOF FOR LATCHING AND UNLATCHING THE BOLT MEANS ANDMOVABLE AWAY FROM SAID BOLT MEANS INTO NON-JAMMING POSITION OF THEENGAGEMENT MEANS; MOVABLE ACTUATING MEANS ON THE OTHER MEMBER FOR THEBOLT ENGAGEMENT MEANS; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE ACTUATING MEANS ANDTHE BOLT ENGAGEMENT MEANS FOR TRANSLATING MOVEMENT OF THE ACTUATINGMEANS INTO LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE BOLT ENGAGEMENT MEANS, SAIDINTERCONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION FOR MOVEMENT OF THEBOLT ENGAGEMENT MEANS ABOUT AN AXIS THEREOF INTO SAID NON-JAMMINGPOSITION.